A Shinra Christmas Carol
by Nathalie335
Summary: A FFVII version of A christmas carol Starring Rufus, the Turks, and Co. A bit of Crisis Core spoilers in chapter 3... Finished
1. Chapter 1

Well, this is my first official Final Fantasy fic. I've got a whole bunch of FFVII fics brainstormed and stuff, but I never got around to writing them down, so now I'm getting off my lazy butt and write one!

It's a Christmas special, a kind of Shinra Christmas Carol, starring Rufus.

So, enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

**A SHINRA CHRISTMAS CAROL**

"Will you turn that off?" Rufus Shinra scowled over at his driver "It's annoying."

The radio, which was playing "Jingle Bell Rock" was switched off. The young president of Shinra Inc. sighed and glanced out the window at the scene passing by, Outside, dirt-streaked snow lined the sidewalk, in which middle-classed citizens rushed around, busy wih last minute Christmas shopping.

"Hmph...fools..." He muttered, glaring out at them.

Not long after, after arriving at the office and being greeted by phones ringing and "Good morning, Mr. President"s, Rufus headed up to the 68th floor to the office of the Turks.

Opening the door, the next thing he knew, there was a pair of lips pressing against his.

"Mmph!" he pushed the petite blonde away "Elena, what is the meaning of this?!"

She turned bright red. "P-president Rufus! I-I'm so sorry! I thought you were someone else!"

Glancing around their office, he saw that it was brightly decorated for Christmas, including the sprig of holly in Elena's coiffed blonde hair, and the mistletoe hanging above the door.

"Elena, were you responsible for this?"

"Yes sir. I thought the office could use a little Christmas Cheer..."

"Hey hey, El Presidente!" Reno suddenly popped up and slung his arm around Rufus. "It's the Holidays, so crank out the eggnog and mistletoe! Speaking of which, Laney, you were expecting Tsengy-kins under the mistletoe, but accidently conked Rufus?"

"Sh-shut up, Reno!" She turned red again.

"So boss, I suppose we'll be expecting Chirstmas bonuses, right Rude?"

The tall, bald Turk looked up from his paperwork and gave a silent reply, his face expressionless as usual. Rufus scowled and pulled away from the Redhead's grip.

"That is for Tseng to decide, Reno. Now don't you have work to do?"

"Yes, he does." The leader of the Turks walked in, handing papers to Elena, who eagerly accepted them, pink tinting her cheeks again. "Good morning, Sir. I hope things are going well?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Tseng. Quite a bit of traffic this morning, with all these people shopping."

"Good thing I got all my shopping done early!" Elena piped up.

"Hmph. Well Tseng, I want you to go over these files. We'll discuss them later."

"Yes, sir."

As he left the office, Rufus heard Reno say "Hey Rude! Pass me that bottle of eggnog!"

"Don't even think about it, Reno." Elena scowled.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hope you liked! Reviews are much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Chapter 2!

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

As Rufus walked out of the boardroom, he was approached by a disgruntled looking Tseng, with a very drunk Reno hanging off of his leg.

"Come on, fearless leader... Lemme show you what my rod can really do..." he drawled. Tseng sighed and handed Rufus back the files.

"Here Sir, I looked over them and I Reno, stop chewing on my leg!!!!" He looked up at Rufus in exasperation "I'm sorry, apparently he has found the stock of the eggnog with the vodka mixed in."

Elena stormed in, anger blazing in her large, brown eyes. "COME HERE, YOU!" She grabbed Reno by the collar, and then turned to the other two, her expression immediately turning sweet. "I think we should put a ban on alcoholic drinks inside the office, don't you sirs?" Then she marched off in the direction of the bathroom, dragging Reno behind her. Tseng sighed and followed after her. "I'd better go make sure they don't get into even more trouble..."

Rufus sighed and began to walk to his office when Reeve interrupted him.

"Excuse me, Rufus, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"If this is about your idea to turn the empty lot in sector 5 into a children's center, my answer is still no." Rufus replied coolly.

"Actually, I was, wondering if you can let me off work early tonight,"

Rufus paused, then turned around, looking at Reeve stonily. "And why exactly would I do that?"

Reeve looked down sheepishly. "Well, it's Christmas Eve, and my sister and her kids are coming tonight, including my niece Tina. She's six, and has lot's of ailments and"

"Reeve, we are at one of the busiest times of the year, we are almost done with one of our biggest projects, therefore, and we have no time to let people go home early! Your sister and precious little Tina will have to wait until you are officially off of work." Rufus said, in a low, dangerous voice then turned around and went into his office, not bothering to see Reeve's reaction.

A few minutes; later, he was interrupted once again, by Elena this time, a drenched Reno behind her. He had obviously been doused repeatedly in water until he went back to normal. Rufus scowled, his patience starting to grow thin.

"What is it, Elena?"

"Well, President Rufus, tonight is Christmas Eve..."

"Yes, I am well aware of that..."

"Well, I'm going to be having a little Christmas party tonight at my apartment, and I was wondering if you'd like to come..."

"No, I don't think so..."

"It's going to be lot's of fun! There will be food and music and gift exchanges"

"Elena, what part of NO don't you understand? I don't like Christmas parties, I don't like anything Christmas!" He stood up, glaring at her from over his desk. "I hate the Holidays!"

Elena blinked, stunned, her mouth silently opening and closing. Reno shrugged and scratched his wet hair.

"Told ya he'd say no. " He slung an arm around her and lead her to the door. "Come on, Laney, Let's go throw snowballs at Hojo's lab..."

Rufus sighed and sat down again, rubbing his forehead.

A few hours later, as he returned to his office with a fresh cup of coffee, Rufus heard some noises coming form his office. Frowning, he opened the door, prepared to fire anyone who would dare be inside his office unauthorized.

Inside, a young man with spiky dark hair and wearing an old SOLDIER uniform sat on his desk, flipping through some papers. Rufus recognized him as Zack Fair, who was a first class soldier in the army a few years ago.

He was supposed to be dead.

Zack looked up, grinning. "Hey, Rufus! Long time no see. Is that a new hairstyle? I think it's pretty fitting for you..."

Rufus was surprised for a moment, and then regained his composure. "Zackary Fair... What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just checking this place out. It's been a while since I been here. About five years... So you're the president now? Hope you didn't have to do anything illegal to get your old man out..."

"Didn't you die?" Rufus interrupted.

Zack just shrugged and got off the desk. "Don't be such a jerk, Ruffles. It's the holidays! Even Sephiroth softened up a bit at this time..."

"I don't give a damn."

"Oh, really? So, you're that kind of who doesn't like Christmas, huh." Zack slumped into one of the chairs.

"I hate Christmas." Rufus muttered

"Oh? And why's that?" Zack asked, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Because it is an annoying, commercialized Holiday that people everywhere make a big deal out of for no reason!"

Zack chuckled. "You know, I heard that people who don't believe in the Christmas Spirit get a visit from the Ghosts of Christmas.". He stood up and headed for the door "If you see Cloud, tell him to cheer up about everything. I didn't sacrifice myself to protect him just so he can turn out emo." He left.

Rufus opened the door and looked out into the hall, but Zack had vanished. Sighing, he went back to his desk and pressed the intercom. "Sheila, get me a double shot Latte. I really need one.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Bet you were surprised to see Zack, huh? Now I'm not to sure if there was a guy who told him about the ghosts before he met them... some versions I saw had it, some didn't so...

Anyways, enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

Well here's chapter 3.

Thank you so much to the people who left the nice reviews! It made me feel happy!

Oh, if you don't know much about Crisis Core, I recommend you look it up cause there's a character in this chapter who was in it. Oh...that's right... there's gonna be spoilers in this chapter! Um, not heavy ones though. Oh well, just thought he'd make a nice Marley...

"Cough" Lazardisrufusshalfbrother!

Heh heh. Enjoy.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

It was evening. Rufus sat in his living room, clad in white silk pajamas, Dark Nation curled up next to him, purring.

"Well, Nation, it seems that everyone is out tonight doing silly Christmas celebrations." He said, stroking her soft, dark fur. "Good thing you're still here..."

"Mmrow..." she agreed. He smirked and took a sip of champagne and began to read through some files on his laptop. Suddenly Dark Nation's head perked up, ears layback, and started growling. She jumped off the sofa and darted out of the room.

"What is it, girl?"

A cold wind rushed through the room, the lights and the fire in the fireplace flickering out. He frowned, reaching for the gun hidden under the cushion.

"Hello, Rufus." A voice said behind him. Rufus turned around to see a ghostly white man standing, floating, at the door. He also had glasses; chin length blonde hair, and one white wing on his back.

"... Lazard." Rufus recognized the former head executive of the SOLDIER department, another person who was supposed to be dead. "What is it with me seeing people who are supposed to be dead... " He smirked and folded his arms. "So, have you seen the company yet? I'm doing pretty well at running it, aren't I? Yes, soon I will have it be a new, powerful world order..."

Lazard clenched his fists, looking irritated. "Listen Rufus, I'm not here for past issues. I'm here to give you a warning."

"Oh, really? I didn't think you cared about me that way."

"I don't. But I have to tell you this anyways. Tonight, before the sun rises, you shall be visited by the Three Ghosts of Christmas..

"Oh that again. Did Fair put you up to this?"

Lazard glowered at him. "Tonight. 3 spirits. Each representing the past, present, and future. Got that, you ungrateful little brat?!" He disappeared. "Honestly, I should have been the president instead of you..."

Rufus sat in silence for a while, and then shrugged. "Christmas Spirits... Bah!" Dark Nation padded back inside, meowing. Rufus sighed and scratched her head. "Come on, girl. Time for bed.

Rufus was awakened by a shining light and someone poking him.

"Hello? Hey, wake up!"

Rufus opened his eyes to see Elena standing next to his bed. She was wearing a glittery white dress and tiara, and a realistic pair of fairy wings was on her back. She was also emitting a glow.

"Elena, what are you doing here? And _what _ is with that getup?"

"Oh, I'm not Elena." She smiled proudly "I am the Spirit of Christmas Past! I just look like her because that is your subconscious interpretation of me!"

"Uh-huh. Sure." He rolled his eyes in disbelief. "What do you want, anyways?"

"Well, I am here to take you on a journey."

"What kind of journey?"

"You'll see!" She took his hand. "Now hold on tight!" She pulled him to the window.

"Wait, what're you..."

The window opened, and she jumped out, taking him with her. There was a bright flash of light, and he found himself not at home anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

Here's chapter 4!

And yes, this is my interpretation of Rufus's past.

And for those of you who don't know, Cissnei is the Turk girl with the shuriken in Before Crisis.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Rufus blinked and looked around. They were standing in a large, richly furnished hallway. It looked strangely familiar. With a jolt, he recognized it.

"This is... This is my childhood home..."

"Mm-hmm. That's right." Elena said beside him. "Oh, by the way, no one around here will be able to see or hear us."

"Why?"

"You'll see." Suddenly there was the patter of footsteps, and a small, blonde boy in white pajamas ran down the hall past them and through one of the doors. Rufus recognized him immediately, and couldn't help letting out a gasp.

"Was that..."?

"Yup! That was you!" She smiled "You were so adorable back then! Now go on, follow yourself."

Unsure, Rufus followed the boy into the room.

"Come on, Tseng! Wake up! It's Christmas!" Little Rufus cried as he shook the person in the bed, who older Rufus saw was a younger Tseng.

"Nhgh. Rufus, it's far too early..." Tseng groaned.

"No it's not! Come on, it's Christmas!"

"Fine... I'll be down in a moment...go get your mother..."

"I already did! See you downstairs!" he giggled and ran back out into the hall.

"You and Tseng have always been close, ever since he was assigned to be your official bodyguard and caretaker when you were young. You two had some real friendship going" Elena remarked, "Even now, he is one of the few people you really trust... Oh, and in case you haven't guessed, this is a memory..." But Rufus wasn't listening. He was already going downstairs, knowing whom he was about to see.

Downstairs in the living room, under the huge tree, Little Rufus sat with a beautiful woman in a white dressing gown, opening presents. Older Rufus stood there with an odd expression on his face, looking at her.

Little Rufus looked up at his mother. "Mother, Father's not going to join us, is he?"

She shook her head and stroked his hair. "No, dear... he's off at work..."

He looked down sadly. "He's never home... Oh well, least I got you and Tseng"

Tseng walked in, dressed in his suit, holding a box with air holes. "Rufus, this a special present from your mother and I..."

"Oh really?" Rufus took the box and opened it, revealing a tiny black kitten with 2 tails. "A kitty! Thanks so much! I love it!" He picked the kitten Dark Nation up and started petting her. She mewed and started purring.

The older Rufus stood them, watching the scene stonily. Elena smiled sadly at him. "Of course, happy times like this didn't last. A few years later around Christmas time, while you were away at school, your mother became very sick, and..."

"Please...don't remind me of that time..." Rufus muttered.

"All right. But that was the last time you ever cried. After that, your heart hardened, and you became a changed person. Losing your mother at Christmas... no wonder you hate it so much... But, the Christmas hating issue actually isn't the biggest issue about you... Ok, time to go forward a few years!" She clapped her hands, and there was another bright flash of light.

Rufus found himself on a snowy balcony. Sounds from the annual Company Holiday Banquet were coming from the inside, and another younger version of himself, this one around 16 years old, stood against the railing, scowling.

"Stupid cheery Holiday..." He muttered.

"Vice President Rufus?" a young teenage girl with wavy auburn hair and wearing the Turk uniform came out. "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't' stand it in there." He replied. "I despise these company dinners..."

"Oh... Well, at the very least you should wear a jacket outside at this time. You'll catch cold!"

"No, I'll be fine."

She sighed and took off her jacket and draped it over him. "You can be so stubborn sometimes. If you're going to stay outside, just wear this until I get a jacket for you." She gave a small smile and went back inside.

The older Rufus sighed. "Cissnei... the youngest ever member of the Turks... She always was a caring soul... I have to admit, I did like her a bit. She had all the qualities I wanted. Loyal, intelligent, obedient, beautiful..." he watched as Cissnei came out with a jacket. "In fact, around last year, I was about to marry her. But, on the wedding day,"

"She was called out on an urgent mission involving terrorists, that turned out to be that branch of Turks final mission, as they went missing and presumed dead." Elena finished. "And she was going to marry you only because it was her duty, even though that hot Turk with the glasses was in love with her and she liked him back and"

Rufus glared at her. "Shut up!"

"Sorry... anyways, so those were 2 scenes from your past, and I hope you learned something from them."

"What the hell was I supposed to learn from them?"

"Hey, don't ask me! You're supposed to find out for yourself! Guess you'll understand more when you meet the other ghosts. Besides, this is just my job..."

"Whatever. Look, can I go home now?"

"Fine. But remember, you'd better start being nice! And good luck with the other ghosts!" She kissed him on the nose, there was another flash of light, and the next thing he knew, he was back in his own bed.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

By the way, the Cissnei/Rufus thing was part of another fic idea I have. I mainly support Cissnei/ Katana Turk, though I thought a Rufus/Cissnei/Katana triangle was kinda cute...


	5. Chapter 5

Here's chapter 5! And it will contain the funniness of Reno!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Rufus sat up in his bed, scratching his head.

'What a strange dream... that's it. No more champagne before bed..." It was then that he heard Christmas music blaring from the dining room. Frowning, he climbed out of bed and headed over there.

"All right, what is going on here?!"

"Hey, Rufus! Glad you could join the party!" Reno cried from the table, taking a swig of eggnog. He was wearing a red Santa robe and a crown of holly in his hair, instead of his usual goggles. Rude was sitting nearby, dressed similarly.

"Reno! How dare you have a party is my apartment!" Rufus cried.

"Geez, didn't you get the memo? I'm the ghost of Christmas Present! And that there is my assistant! He jerked a thumb over at Rude.

Rude sighed, "We're both the Ghost of Christmas past."

"Yeah, well, I'm the more important one! Anyways, Rufus, we're here to take you on a little tour, of how different people spend their holidays!"

Rude picked up Rufus and hoisted him over his shoulder. "Let's go." He headed for the window, Reno right behind, munching on some cookies. "First stop, Reeve's house!" He went out the window, not falling, just walking on the air. Rude, still carrying Rufus, followed him.

As they walked across the air, Rufus couldn't hide his wonder as he looked down at the lit city below him. Eventually, they reached Reeve's apartment. Rufus stared at all the cats wandering about the living room.

"He's thirty, single, and has a bunch of cats... pathetic." Rufus remarked.

"Yeah, I know. He really needs to get himself a girlfriend." Reno agreed. They watched as Reeve walked in, looking tired.

"Uncle Reeve!!" A couple of little kids ran up and hugged him, their mother following them.

"Hey kids! Hi Carol. Sorry I'm late. I had to work overtime." He said as he hugged them back. "Where's Tina?"

'I'm here!" A think, pale little girl with dark hair hobbled in on a pair of crutches. "Merry Christmas, Uncle Reeve!"

"Hey Tina! How're you feeling?"

"Great! And the doctor says I'm doing good!" she grinned.

"Well that's great news! Let's go see if your mom has dinner ready." He picked her up and went to the kitchen. Reno gave Rufus a push, motioning to follow him. They went into the dining room, where the family was seated for dinner.

"So, Reeve, you'll be with us tomorrow at Christmas, right?" Carol asked as she served the food.

"I can't... Rufus is having us work tomorrow..."

"That dick!" One of the boys cried.

"Jason! Watch your language!"

"But Mom, it's true! Everyone knows it!"

"But it's because of Mr. Rufus that Uncle Reeve has his great job!" Tina said. "But still, why is Mr. Rufus so mean?"

Reeve sighed. "Well, I guess it's because he doesn't have family or anything to spend Christmas with."

"Well, tomorrow I'm gonna go see him. No one should be alone at Christmas."

"That's very nice of you Tina, but you honestly don't have to..."

"But I want to!" She smiled "I bet that will make him very happy!' Reeve just smiled and shook his head.

Reno nudged Rufus. "Come on, you have to admit that's really cute! And this is coming form someone who doesn't like kids much!"

Rufus bit his lip. It was true there was something about Tina..."Tina... will she, is she going to live? I mean..."

Rude shook his head silently. "...Without the proper medical care, she is going to die..."

"Like you'd care anyways. After all, it will be one less poor ingrate in the world..." Reno said coolly.

Rufus sighed. "Yeah, but..."

"Ok, next stop!" Reno dragged Rufus out the window.

They next went to Elena's apartment, where she was having her party.

"Why are we here?" Rufus asked.

'Just wanted to show you some stuff. Check it out."

"Hey Lena, how come you don't have any drinks here?" The real Reno asked Elena.

"After the way you acted at the office today? I don't think so!" She smiled.

He gave a false pout. "Aw, no fair! Anyways, thanks for the new jacket. And Rude sure does love his new sunglasses case!"

"Oh, no problem!" She sighed and put the tray of hors d'ouvres down. "I just wish that Rufus was here... "

He shrugged and sat down. "He would've been a killjoy anyways. You know how he feels about these kinds of things."

"I know, but still... I mean, I had a present for him and everything...

"Well, I'm sure you can give it to him at work tomorrow." Tseng said as he walked up. "By the way Elena, that Christmas cake you made was delicious."

She blushed as red as her cashmere sweater "Th-thank you... Oh, I forgot to give you your present! Here" She handed him the package, and he opened it.

"I-I didn't know what to get you, so I just decided on an agenda for you... I had it monogrammed specially with your name though..."

He smiled. "Thank you, Elena. It was just what I needed."

The real Reno leaned over them. "Hey you two, isn't that mistletoe hanging right above you?"

Tseng sighed. "Reno...well, I do suppose, since it's Christmas..."

Elena gasped. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently.

"And that's when she freaks out in joy." Ghost Reno smirked "Anyways, enough time here. Time for one last stop, and this one's the most important.' Rude picked Rufus up again and they left.

After that, Rufus found himself in a dark alleyway. "Now where are we?"

"This is one of the lowest sectors of the city." Rude said.

"And you'd better take a good look around, cause there's a lot to see. Like that family over there." Reno pointed over to a homeless family huddled around a fire lit in an oil barrel. "No home, no job, no money, they have to struggle. And nowadays, they can't just simply go out and get a job. And don't think the homeless shelter will be the biggest help either."

Rufus winced as he heard screams and gunshots in the background. Rude pointed over at 2 bodies under sheets. "Look over there..." Rufus hesitated, then lifted the sheets, and gasped. Under, were the bodies of two children, stripped naked and viciously murdered.

"Wh-what is this..?!"

"Their names are Want, and Ignorance." Rude answered gravely. Reno stared at him. "Dude. That sounded gay."

Rude smacked him on the head. "Shut up."

"Ow..." he rubbed his head. "But yeah,... murder, rape, and crime... these are major issues that happen almost everyday down here. The people above know about what's going on, but they choose to ignore it, not helping, and go on with their lives. Rufus Shinra, you think about what you've seen, and decide what's right. So then..."

Rude smacked Rufus across the head, and he blacked out. When he awoke, he was in his bed again.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Yes, Tina is Tiny Tim.


	6. Chapter 6

Here's chapter 6! At this rate, I'm gonna be done by Christmas!

At first I was gonna have Sephiroth be the ghost of Christmas future, but then I noticed the theme of having the Turks be the ghosts... so you can guess who I chose! Oh, and in case you don't know, a Shinigami is a Japanese God of Death.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Rufus sat up in bed, frowning, thinking about everything that he had seen.

"Is it really... that bad down there? Are they expecting me to help?" He sighed and slouched out of bed to get himself a cup of tea. Dark Nation lay curled up in her basket, sleeping as if nothing had ever happened. Rufus sipped his tea as he looked out the window over at the city.

"Do they really need me...? And why can't I stop thinking about that little girl..."

He felt a sudden cold breeze, and the sound of breathing behind him. He turned around to see a tall, dark figure wearing black robes that Rufus recognized as Wutain and carrying a large, ornate scythe. His face was hidden by a hood.

"Let me guess. The ghost of Christmas Future is a shinigami." Rufus remarked. The ghost nodded silently. Rufus sighed. "All right... let's just get this over with..." The Ghost put a hand on his shoulder, and everything went dark.

When it cleared, they were standing in the office. There was a feeling a tension in the air, with employees rushing about. Elena was sitting on a desk, sobbing, Reno cursing on the phone next to her.

"That bastard! Why did he have to die at this time?! Now everything's going to hell!" Reno growled as he slammed down the phone.

"A-and he died all alone! No one was there beside him!" Elena sobbed."And his kitty too..."

"Did they discover the cause of death?" Rude asked

"I think it was something about poisoning. Apparently an assassination attempt. Not to surprising, since he had lots of enemies..." Reno shrugged. "He had it coming, anyways... part of me is glad he's gone... even though Tseng is now in an extremely emo state..."

"B-but what about"

"It's closing down! He didn't have any family to inherit it, so now there's no one to run it! And now we're all out of a job! And with the whole system suddenly shut down, the whole world's gonna crash!"

Rude got off the phone again. "The police just said his whole place was ransacked by a bunch of teens. Now apparently they're having a party there..."

"That's horrible!" Elena cried.

"Aw, and they didn't invite me?" Reno gave a fake pout.

Reeve walked by, a devastated look on his face, his eyes shining with tears.

"Man, Reeve seems to be taking this hard..."

"Didn't you hear?" Elena said sadly "Tiny Tina, his niece, just died... It's sad... He was really close to her..."

"That little sick girl? Ouch..."

Rufus turned to the spirit. "So... someone important had died?" The ghost nodded, and everything went dark again. This time, they were in a cemetery. Bare, frost-laden trees were around, and dark clouds lined the sky. A crow called in the distance.

Nearby, he saw Reeve sobbing at a small grave with a pair of crutches leaning against it.

"Oh Tina... you were taken too early... You would've turned out to be a great woman...," he sobbed. "At least... you're in no more pain... and maybe up there, you're finally walking..."

Rufus sighed. "So she didn't make it..." He looked over at the spirit, who was standing by a snow-covered grave. "Tell me, Spirit, are these events things that _will _happen, or _may _happen?" He approached the grave, having a bad feeling on which it belonged to. "That grave... whose it?"

The spirit wiped the snow off the grave and lowered his hood, revealing Tseng.

"...It's yours, Rufus." He said gravely.

Rufus fell to his knees, shaking. "No. It can't be..." For the first time, he felt scared. "I can't..." He grabbed Tseng's robe, tears falling for the first time. "Please... I don't want it to end this way! Not like this... please... tell me there's something I can do to prevent these things from happening!"

Tseng sighed and knelt down next to him. "If you want things to change, then you are the one who must make it happen. You must learn to give, and to help others... it's up to you."

"I'll change! I promise!" Rufus cried, " I'll become a good person, and believe in the Christmas Spirit! Just give me another chance! " He fell to the ground "Please... I can change..."

"I can change...

"Mrow?"

Rufus felt something warm on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Dark Nation standing over him, licking his face. He was back in his own room. Morning sunlight streamed from the windows.

"I'm alive..." he sat up and hugged her "I'm alive!" He rushed to the phone and dialed Tseng's cell phone.

"... Hello?" Tseng answered sleepily.

"Tseng! What day is it?"

"It's Christmas Day, Sir."

"Then I haven't missed it..." He sighed in relief "Where are you now?'

"I'm still at Elena's apartment..."

"Then stay right there. I'll be right over!" He hung up and ran to his closet "Come on, Nation! We have a lot of work to do!"

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

You guys want some fanart of this fic?


	7. Chapter 7

Well this is it. The last chapter. I'm glad all you guys enjoyed it! If I have time, and not lazy, I'll put up more fics. Though they will also star the Turks, cause they're my favorite characters... but yeah. You know, this is the first time I have ever officially finished a fic!

Well then, enjoy!

Oh, and just for the record, I haven't actually played Crisis Core. I just learned all the plotlines and spoilers about it.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Rufus walked down the sidewalk, smiling up at the sunny sky, several packages under his arm. He was alive. It was a beautiful Christmas day, and he was a changed man.

"It's a beautiful Christmas morning, isn't it Dark Nation?" He said cheerfully.

She meowed in agreement. She was a little confused why her master was acing this way, but if he was happy, then so was she.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm acting like this, aren't you girl?" he said, "Well, guess I must've had an epiphany last night... So now, I have to make things right."

They arrived at Reeve's apartment, where he was just about to leave for work.

"Good morning Reeve!"

Reeve looked up hastily "Oh, president Rufus! I was just on my way to work, sir!"

"That's all right, Reeve. You don't have to work today. In fact, I'm giving you the week off the spend with your family."

"Really? Well, thank you very much!"

"Also, You can go on with the Children's Center project. In fact, as Head Urban Developer, it's your job to make the city a better place. And I want you to start with the lower sectors of the city. The poor people down there have terrible living conditions!"

Reeve smiled joyfully. "I'll get started on it as soon as I can!"

"Uncle Reeve?" Tina poked her head out form the behind the door. "You don't have to go to work today?"

"No, Tina. In fact, I get to spend the whole week with you and your family!"

Tina smiled over at Rufus "Thank you, Mr. Rufus!"

Rufus smiled and knelt down next to her "And not only that. I'm getting you the best medical care possible, and we are going to fix your legs so you can walk."

Reeve gave a small gasp "Rufus, you don't have to "

"No I insist. I want this special little girl to live life at its fullest!"

Tina smiled and hugged Rufus "Thank you, Uncle Rufus! I knew you were a nice guy!"

"You're welcome. Now, I'm going to go and give presents to my good friends, the Turks." He looked at Reeve "Would you and Tina like to come?"

Reeve nodded. "All right. Let me get Tina her coat first."

Answering the knock on her door, Elena opened it to see Rufus, Reeve and Tina standing there.

"Rufus! What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise

"Just wondering if it's too late to join your Christmas celebrations, seeing as you don't have to work today, and we still have a bit of gift exchanging to do.' Rufus said smiling.

A sleepy looking Reno came up behind Elena "Ok, who are you, and what have you done with Rufus Shinra? " He asked dubiously.

Rufus just rolled his eyes and handed Reno his gift. "Don't ask, and just open it."

Reno stared, then opened the gift, his eyes lighting up in delight. "A rare edition Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Pinup Calendar?!"

"Well, you are one of our best agents, even though we have to stand your rowdy ways, so you deserve it."

Reno grinned and jumped onto Rude, who was sleeping on the couch. "Rude! Wake up, man! It's a Christmas Miracle!!! Rufus is no longer a prick!"

"Oh Rufus, I don't know what to say...thank you..." Elena said softly, looking at her present, a jeweled hairclip. "Um, I was planning to make a big special Christmas Breakfast... "

"That would be wonderful, Elena. After all, I never told you this, but you are an excellent cook"

Elena squealed in delight and ran into the kitchen. "Reno! Rude! Come help me make breakfast!"

"Aw, do we have to?" Reno groaned.

Tseng walked up to Rufus. "Sir, as you feeling all right?"

"I've never felt better! I guess..." He looked over at Tina, who was playing with Dark Nation who was wearing the new collar Elena gave her. "I guess I just had a change of heart... Tseng, I really appreciate you being by my side for all these years. Thank you."

Tseng smiled softly "Thank you, Rufus."

Rufus nodded and walked out onto the balcony outside and leaned over the railing.

"So, enjoying yourself?" He turned around to see Zack standing there.

"Zack... you planned this all along, didn't you."

"Well, it was really Aeris's idea, but yeah, I helped. Consider it part of the "Guardian Angel Program". We do things like this for people we know aren't complete lost causes. You know, have some good deep inside them and all. We just try to bring that good out. Lazard didn't really want to help with you, cause he still has issues with you, but he's actually a much nicer guy than he used to be." He shrugged. "Must be the Angeal cloning thing... oh well. The point is, you learned your lesson, and are heading to a brighter future. So, keep it up!" Zack grinned, waved, and disappeared. "Next thing to do is give Cloud a holiday surprise!"

Rufus smiled, and then went back inside, where everyone was sitting down for breakfast. An overjoyed Elena was sitting next to Tseng, who had his arm wrapped around her. Reno was munching a muffin, humming to himself, while Rude cleaned his shades with the new cleaning cloth Rufus gave him. Tina was sitting on Reeve's lap, sipping cocoa and giggling.

Rufus picked up a glass. "Everyone, I'd like to propose a toast. To my good friends, who I am glad to be spending Christmas with. And to my new good friend, Tina. And, to the angels who are always watching us. So, cheers!"

"And God bless us, Everyone!" Tina cheered.

And so everyone had a wonderful Christmas together.

Of course, a week later, Rufus went more or less back to his usual self.

**THE END**

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

So, that was it. My Christmas Fic. Hope everyone enjoyed! And if anyone wants to do any fan art for it, I'd be very happy about that!

And sorry about the lack of details at some points. I had to write most of the story late at night, so at times I was a little brain-dead.


End file.
